


This time I will live

by foryoureyesonly1



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Coffee Shops, Firefighter Ace, Free Sabo, Happy Ace, M/M, Political Campaigns, Politician Sabo, Portgas D. Ace-centric, Revolution, Unfortunately I can't write Ace being happy without hurting him too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foryoureyesonly1/pseuds/foryoureyesonly1
Summary: Ace died.But instead of going to hell like he expected, he is given another chance. To live, to love and to be loved. A new world, a new life, and new memories. This time he won't waste his time struggling with whether he deserves to live or not. This time, he'll just live.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Sabo
Comments: 15
Kudos: 72





	1. The Grim Reaper's Ordeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A grim reaper tries to manipulate Ace to choose living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking. _'This bitch has three ongoing stories, one which hasn't been updated in a year, and yet she's starting another one?'_
> 
> Yeah, I've had this idea in my head for months, I can't help it. This will be a short story though. This chapter may be a bit different, but don't be mistaken, this is 100% Modern AU.

Ace died.

He'd left the world with very few regrets, giving his worthless life to save his brother's. He was able to die with a smile on his face. He'd done his best in this life, so he was able to let it go.

He felt weightless, like he was floating in air, and he opened his eyes. There was nothing to see, only darkness. A strong wind was carrying him somewhere. Was this what death felt like? Where was he floating to? He wasn't dumb enough to wish for heaven, to wish to go to the same place as his mother and Sabo...no hell was where the son of a demon was going. 

There was a sudden bright light, and someone appeared in front of him. He wore a dark cloak, and his face was covered by the hood. Ace blinked, and looked at the person in front of him, and all of a sudden, the wind carrying him became more violent, pulling him away, but this person reached out their hand, and pulled Ace's hand.

A tug of war began between the person with a dark aura and the wind trying to take Ace away. 

"I don't have much time. I won't be able to pull you out if you don't agree to my ordeal." The shadow said. The voice was deep, shrouded in mystery, and Ace had never heard it before. Was it a god or the devil? "Come, Ace. I'll give you a new life."

"Let go." Ace said to the shadow.

"There is nothing where that wind is taking you. Only death." 

"I chose death." Ace informed it.

The shadow reached up, and pulled down it's hood. Ace may have been a spirit but he audibly gasped. He knew that face. It looked exactly the same as the wanted posters, the newspaper articles that Ace had spent his entire life running from.

Gol D. Roger stood in front of him.

And then Ace laughed, "Ha, I know I'm in hell, but even so, the devil can't just ease me in, can he? Isn't it a bit too cruel for _you_ to be my first torture? I mean you've practically tormented me my whole life, I can't escape you even in death?"

"You're not in hell. You can think of me as the grim reaper. You were not supposed to be born. There is no place for you in heaven or hell, no reincarnation either. Unless you come with me, your soul will fade into nothingness." Roger said. "Make the choice, and the wind will leave you to me."

"No thanks." Ace said. "My worthless life which should never have existed, finally had a purpose in saving my brother's life. I have no regrets, I can peacefully disappear."

Roger, stepping forward in that nothingness, placed a hand on Ace's chest. "Let me show you the pain you left behind. No, let me show you the people who loved you the most."

And suddenly Ace was a ghost, standing in a forest. Someone was screaming his name in pain. Luffy. Luffy running around the forest, injured severely and bandaged all over, face scrunched up in pain as he tore down tree after tree, opening his winds and screaming, screaming, 'where is Ace.' over and over again.

Ace's heart ached, and he wanted to reach out to the boy, to comfort him. "Why...why are you showing me this?"

"You sacrificed yourself for him, but you didn't think about what it would do to him. You have to make up for it." Roger said, standing next to him.

"He'll be fine." Ace gritted his teeth. "In a few months, he'll move on."

"And what about her?" Roger asked, the scenario dissolving, and Ace found himself in a small room, surrounded by strangers around a woman's bed. "You've never seen her before, right?"

Her face was pale, tired, blonde hair flowing in the silence as she looked at the baby in her arms. A smile on her ethereal face, as if everything she'd done was worth it.

"Mother." Ace whispered, watching as she handed the baby to Garp, before taking her last breath. "I... really am in hell." Ace looked down at her lifeless form, "otherwise, why would you torture me like this."

"You took the life of your mother in order to be born." Roger said. "The least you can do, is choose to live."

"Screw you!" Ace shouted. " _You_ took my mother's life from her! Not me! I lived, and I fought to live, I fought so hard! But I still died, because I carried your blood in my veins. You sucked the life out of her. Out of me."

"Perhaps," Roger said thoughtfully. "There's only one more thing I can use to convince you now. Come."

Again, Ace found himself in a dark room surrounded by strangers. They were talking about the war, about his death...when one of them stopped in his tracks, and turned, snatching up a stray newspaper.

His face.

No.

Ace stepped closer to the young man. Light blonde hair. Big blue eyes filling with tears.

"No." Ace says sharply.

But he recognised that face. The face that at this moment, was looking in both pain and disbelief at the article depicting Ace's death. Ace both heard and felt the agonised scream that shattered the silence from the person's pain.

"No." Ace said again, reaching for Sabo, but the scene dissolved into darkness again. "He's dead. I know he's dead... I know it."

The wind was a storm now, forcing Ace towards it. And Ace was crying, hands shaking, the pain in Sabo's face mirrored in his. "He was dead..."

"He lost his memories, so he couldn't find you, even if he wanted to." Roger said, his voice ringing through the storm.

"You should have searched for him. Now look. Both of you will only love in pain. You, who mourned him for ten years, and him, who will mourn you for the rest of his life. You'll only ever make him sad." Roger told him. 

Ace looked on helplessly. "What can I do?"

"I can give you a chance to make him happy. I can give you a chance to be with your mother. I can give you a chance to make it up to your brother."

Finally, Ace reached out his hand, and let Roger pull him out of the wind.

*

He led Ace down a flight of stairs, where it was so dark he could barely see

"I can't give you back your life, but I can give you a new one. In a new world, 600 years in the future, it was the only time when everyone was reborn at once." Roger said. "You're the only one who will remember your past life."

"I thought you said I couldn't be reborn."

"I gave up my opportunity to raise you in both lifetimes, so you can be reborn." Roger said quietly, walking ahead of Ace. "It's the only thing I could do for you as your father."

They reached a red door at the bottom of the stairs. "Do you think that's gonna make me forgive you?"

"No. I just want you to spend more time with your mother, and your friends. I just want you to live, Ace." Roger smiled. "So, don't die young this time, because it's your last life."

And with that, Ace pushed open the door.

Ace felt...strange. It was cold. Someone was holding him. There were strange sounds around him, of machines. He tried to say something, but only a cry came out. He felt strangely light, as the person holding him covered him with a blanket before handing him to someone else. Her hands were warm, comforting, and Ace tried to open his eyes.

"Congratulations, Rouge. It's a boy."

Ace opened his eyes. There was that pale ethereal face again, but this time she was smiling, and there was more colour on her face.

She wouldn't die this time.


	2. Brave new world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pirate from the 1500s tries to make it in the 21st century.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get used to these quick updates. It's a blue moon if I update once a month. Anything more than that is nothing short of a miracle.

It wasn't so bad, being a baby. Even though the only way Ace could communicate was by crying, he got to experience what it felt like to be held in his mother's arms, day by day. She would tell him him stories about his father. In this life, Roger had been a soldier, and died in the war. Rouge only spoke well of him, so Ace supposed that he'd been good to her in this life.

Sometimes she told him the story of his birth, how there were complications and everyone thought she would not make it past the birth, but still she persevered. She would tell him how he was the greatest gift she'd ever received.

The love of a mother, being raised in her loving care, was a new experience for Ace, and he relished every moment of it. To spend time with her, like this, was a gift, a blessing that made him grateful to his father for the first time in both lives.

He learned to talk when he was only seven months old, but not wanting to freak anyone out, he said nothing coherent until he was a year old. Rouge did not have a family, but she owned a coffee shop with Makino, and was close to her regular patrons, who all adored baby Ace. Roger's army colleagues also visited occasionally, the most frequent of which were Garp and Rayleigh. Ace tried to be less worrisome to Garp in this life, but with the old man nagging him since he was three years old to join the military, he gave up, and was as rude to him as before.

That said, Ace had a lot of adjusting to do in this new world. For one, he only knew basic reading and writing, and thus school was a whole new experience for him, that he absolutely did not like. He wasn't much for brains. 

In this life, Ace met Luffy when he was six years old. Garp and Dragon both worked all day, so he would usually be left at the coffee shop with Makino. Just like before, the boy was practically glued to Ace's side the moment they met. And Ace was less of an asshole to him. He wouldn't miss anything important in Luffy's life this time. He would protect him with more than just his life in this life. He would always be here for him.

Ace was powerless to find Sabo. He did not have the resources, and he was just a child, so he persevered, biding his time until such a time as he was able to start searching for him.

Ace first came into contact with the people he'd known from the Whitebeard pirates when he started school at Whitebeard Academy, an academy that taught students from kindergarten to highschool. It was affordable, and with plenty of scholarship opportunities. It put Ace off a little to see the Edward Newgate that was once feared as the king of the seas, as a headmaster. But that didn't mean that he was any less fearful. Still, his passion was always to have his own family, and in this life, he created it like this.

Marco as the loveable school doctor was positively adorable, while Vista as the kendo instructor was absolutely perfect. Izou and his sister Kiku taught fashion and design, while Jozu was the geography teacher. But out of all of them, the one who had the most impact in Ace's life, was Thatch. In this life, Thatch was born as Newgate's only son, and it made Ace wonder if the universe was giving Whitebeard a chance to not fail his son again.

Ace first met Thatch in his mother's coffee shop. He was ten years old at the time. His mouth had gone dry, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Thatch?" Ace asked, voice breaking.

Thatch looked down at the boy in confusion, and at that moment, Rouge stepped up, and handed Thatch a cup of coffee and some muffins.

"Oh, Ace, you're home." She smiled delighted. "This is my friend, Thatch. We went to school together. Thatch, this is my son, Ace."

"He's got your freckles." Thatch smiled, looking at Ace. "...but I think he knows me already."

Ace recovered, as he shook Thatch's hand. He composed himself. "Pops has a picture of you in his office."

Thatch raised his eyebrows, "You've been in his office enough to look at his pictures?"

"Ace is awfully naughty." Rouge sighed, sitting down across from Thatch. "But Mr Edward is always straightening him out."

"I'm really not." Ace crossed his arms. Sure he'd gotten into trouble a few times, but he thought his mom would have a heart attack if she knew the shit he'd been up to in his past life.

"So, are you gonna open up a restaurant now that you're back?" Rouge asked enthusiastically.

"Sort of." Thatch said taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm actually opening a sort of spin off school with my old man, for culinary arts. The restaurant will be part of that."

"Oh, wow, that's wonderful news. I hope it goes well for you." Rouge smiled.

"Thanks. We'll open in a year or two. Perhaps Ace would be interested in enrolling...no?"

Rouge burst out laughing. "His facial expression should tell you the answer to that. Besides, he's been learning how to eat from Garp, he'd probably finish all the food for the customers."

Ace frowned. His appetite was one thing that had not changed. Both him and Luffy were still monsters when it came to food. "I wouldn't. But yeah, even though mum is great at baking, cooking is no passion of mine." Ace made it clear.

Thatch visited a few more times after that. Ace liked him, even in this life he was an enthusiastic person, who pulled people in with his personality. Rouge certainly seemed happier when he was around. She was naturally a demure, quiet person, but she seemed to find him easy to talk to and get used to it. Sometimes Ace would sleepover at Luffy's house or at his friend Deuce's house when Rouge went out with Thatch. But Ace was dumb, and he didn't realise what was going on until much later.

Thatch proposed two years later, on the night of the launch of his new school, and when Ace was thirteen, Rouge and Thatch got married. Ace was this able to regain his old family again, through Thatch. He was forever grateful, and he would make sure to protect Thatch in this life, both for Newgate and for his mother's sake.

When Ace was fifteen, he got a new sister. They named her Tama. She looked like the child Ace had made a promise to once, but had been unable to keep. He would keep every single promise he made to her this time. He only ever had brothers before, so he was willing to learn how to take care of a sister. And suddenly, he wondered why in this life, he had so much more to lose than ever before.

*

When he was a teenager, Ace was finally able to start searching for Sabo. Unfortunately, Sabo's family had sent him to study abroad, being prominent figures in Goa City, they wanted their sons Sabo and Stelly to get proper education. So Ace was unable to meet Sabo. He wondered if in this life Sabo was happy with his family, but some part of him new that riches and nobility would never be of interest to Sabo...well, the Sabo he knew.

Ace came out to his family when he was sixteen, a little nervous, but his mum only smiled, clearly she'd known it for a long time. Thatch had the same reaction now that he had when Ace told him in his previous life. Which was that he felt sorry for the poor guy who'd marry Ace because he'd have to put up with his terrible eating habits. Newgate declared that, he wanted to see the great grandkids that Ace and his future husband would give him before he died. Ace wasn't sure Luffy understood, it was all the same to him, he merely frowned and said ' _Whats it matter as long as you're with the person you love?'._

So Ace was eternally grateful for his family.

Other than that, this world was a bit of a challenge for Ace in choosing a career path. All he knew how to do was to fight, and make fires. He sure as hell wasn't going to kill his mother by becoming a criminal, this wasn't that kind of world. Despite the offers, cooking like his mother and stepfather was not for him. He considered teaching at his grandfather's school, but that still didn't feel like him. He wanted to live life to the fullest this time, but having been a pirate, a job with no thrill, no danger, was of no interest to him. He wanted something to light that missing fire in him.

But he couldn't very well be like Luffy whose grandfather was a retired navy admiral, and whose father was a prosecutor who occasionally taught postgraduate students at various universities. Luffy could do whatever he wanted. Which basically meant being a seaman or doing odd jobs on Shank's cruise ship.

Unfortunately, he couldn't keep his mother's heart at ease with the job he chose, but she was still proud of him. Firefighting. The best part of it was that he was constantly near fire, got to save lives, and it was a good enough job that Garp stopped pestering him about joining the navy.

It came as a shock to everyone, when one day, Dragon announced that he was resigning as a prosecutor and starting his own political party after being encouraged by a student of his. And he really dropped everything, and opened a new office. Ace signed the Deed of Foundation too, but only because Luffy was going around enthusiastically asking people to sign it, so his father could register the party. Garp notably did not sign it, because according to him, he hated politicians. Ace really didn't care about politics, so he never paid it any mind when people talked about the well spoken former student of Dragon's who was the leader of the party's youth faction. He paid it no mind when she he was invited to the party's launch. And he really didn't care when Dragon announced that he was running for governor, as well as stating who his running mate was, and people remarking that he was really young, 'about your age Ace'. _Ace should have cared._

***

The sound of the alarm woke Ace up, just as he was starting to doze off. Immediately, everyone in the barracks was alert. Ace put on his turnout pants and jacket, and put on his boots. 

"What's the emergency?" Ace asked Yamato as the crew filled into the fire truck. "Is it a medical thing?"

"Nope." She smiled, "Put on the full gear, Ace, because this time, it's a fire." 

Ace's eyes lit up at her statement. "Are you serious?" He asked, as the truck started moving, and he grabbed the oxygen mask.

"Honestly, Ace, someone would think you're a psychopath. I mean, you're the only person I know who's happy when we have fires." She said, and he scowled."Apparently, someone was playing with fireworks and, accidentally started a fire. Honestly."

They arrived at the scene ten minutes later. The ambulance and police were already there, and they were the second engine to arrive. People surrounded the apartment building, murmuring quietly. 

"The fire is contained on the second and third floor, engine 3 is already inside with the horses, but there's still a lot of smoke, and they are worried about the occupants who may be trapped inside." Yamato said, taking command after receiving the initial report from the first responders. "Ace lead your team into the second floor, check for survivours and please be careful, go through the inside."

"Yes ma'am." Ace said putting on his mask, and making sure the oxygen tank worked. He led his team into the building. The first floor was filled with smoke coming from above, but as of yet, there was no fire here. He stepped cautiously on the stairs, but there seemed to be no damage done to them. The first apartment on the second floor was empty, and they continued onward, they were met with a family of four, a mother carrying an unconscious child on the corridor, moving from one of the burning rooms. They had inhaled a lot of smoke, but they were not burned. Ace instructed Deuce and a couple of others to take care of them while he went on. There were two apartments left.

The father grabbed Ace's arm, coughing. "Our neighbour....is inside....door's locked... fire's worse...he was banging..." He said.

Hearing this, Ace ran up to said room, and sure enough, there was more intense heat here than anywhere else. He could hear someone banging against the door weakly. There may be a lawsuit for breaking down doors unnecessarily, but Ace didn't care, and he grabbed his halligan bar, forcing the door open. The room was misty with smoke, so he couldn't see clearly from the outside, but one thing for sure was that there was an intense fire in this room.

A young man was standing by the door, presumably he was the one who's been banging on it. The entire left half of his clothes were on fire, and parts of his hair were burned, it looked like something burning had fallen into his left eye, and it was blistered red. Ace reacted quickly, pulling the pin on the fire exiguisher and showering the victim with it, putting out the fire on him.

"I need a wet blanket!" Ace shouted out, as the young man fell on top of him, and he held him steady. Had he fainted? Ace cursed, taking off his mask and putting it over the victim's face while Saber and Mihar went inside to put out the fire and set up the hose line through the window.

"Sir, you're not supposed to-" Bree started, draping the wet blanket on the young man. Ace knew he wasn't supposed to take off his protective equipment, but he had to, this person had to have been breathing in smoke for a while. As it was Ace started to cough as the smoke got to him. But then the smoke started to clear, which meant that Saber and Mihar had succeeded in directing the smoke outside the window.

Ace finally took a look at the unconscious patient in his arms.

His face.

No.

"Sabo?" He whispered, his heart unsteady in his chest...swelling, like someone was pouring fuel into it, making it beat faster. No, this was no time to reminisce. Sabo or not, he had to do his duty, and get this person to safety. Ace carried him outside, to where the ambulance was. 

They started the first aid on him immediately, and Ace stood there, by Sabo's side as they treated him. He made to get on the ambulance with him when it was about to start moving, but Yamato pulled him out.

"What are you doing?" She barked, angrily.

"I need to make sure he's okay." Ace stammered, freeing himself from her grip.

"We've got a fucking fire to contain. We can't very well do that when one of our best men isn't here!" She warned him.

"I know, but..." Ace took a deep breath. "I haven't seen him in a lifetime...to meet him like this, I gotta make sure he's okay. He's my..my..." Ace didn't know what to say. Sabo was the only person he'd ever kept in his heart. The first person that he had ever allowed in, the first to melt his stone cold heart when he was a child. Sabo was the first person who had allowed Ace to dream, the first to see him as his own person, and not just the bastard child of Roger. Sabo was his first friend, and his first love. A lot of his firsts were with Sabo, including his first major loss.

He couldn't lose him again.

Yamato faltered. "Do you know him? Ace, what's the first rule of my engine? Huh?"

Ace looked up at her, his frown deepening. "All fires are equal, all victims are equal."

"You still have mine hours left on your shift. Put out the fire, lead the men. You're the fucking lieutenant for shit's sake!" Yamato snapped. "You can attend to your personal business after that. Well?"

Ace gritted his teeth. "Yes, captain." He said, and casting him one more look, she went back to supervising the entire scene.

Ace sucked it up. They put out the fire, his thoughts drifting constantly to Sabo, but he did his job as was required of him. And when they finally cleared the scene four hours later, he was so exhausted that he took a shower the moment they got back to the fire house, started writing the report on today's incident, and deciding to give it up, and rest instead, he finally fell asleep. He spent the rest of his shift sleeping, and at 7:00 on the dot, he rushed out of there, not even saying hello to Asuka as he passed her on his way out.

***

Ace was unable to see Sabo that day, or the next. He always had many visitors coming in and out, family, friends and associates. He seemed popular. Ace could not state what relationship he had with Sabo, so he could only watch from afar. 

"Ace?" A voice said, and he turned around to see Luffy approaching the room with a brown haired young lady who frequently came to see Sabo.

"Luffy?" Ace stood up from the chair he'd been sitting on all night. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting a friend. Oh, this is my friend Koala, Koala this is Ace, he's like my big brother." Luffy said, and girl shook Ace's hand politely.

"Hello." Ace greeted her.

"Wait, you're outside his room...Ace, do you know Sabo?" Luffy asked.

The girl looked up at Ace as well when Luffy said this. Ace couldn't very well say that he was here stalking his childhood friend/first love from another life, thus he settled for a more believable excuse.

"I pulled him out of the fire. I just wanted to check on how he's doing." He said.

"Oh? You saved Sabo?" Koala asked, smiling. "Thank you." Unexpectedly, she came up to Ace, and gave him a hug.

_Was she Sabo's girlfriend?_

"Ace is like a superhero. Sabo likes superheroes." Luffy said proudly.

"How do you know Sabo Luffy?" He asked curiously.

"Hmm? Of course I know him. He used to read all of Dad's boring law articles since he was a kid, and whenever he came back to the country, he'd always visit." Luffy smiled. "Sabo always brought me gifts from other countries, and some nice action figures too and he told me such fun stories too. He's really cool, though he works for my dad now."

Ace blinked. Had he not tried hard enough to find Sabo? All the years he'd spent looking, waiting for him to return home from studying abroad seemed wasted now that he knew there had been times when Sabo had been so close to him.

"Do you wanna come in and see him?" Koala offered.

"Umm, no thanks, he should be surrounded by people he loves." Ace muttered, looking away.

"Don't be like that, I'm sure he'd like it if you came." Luffy frowned.

Ace frowned, "Isn't he unconscious?"

"No, he woke up yesterday. But we need the press to think it's more serious, sympathetic vote and all. His idea." Koala shook her head. "He's asleep now, but you're his life saviour, I assure you, he's gonna be really glad to see you."

That had not been part of the plan, not at all. Ace wasn't sure that he was ready to meet Sabo yet.

"I...gotta go. I'm working tomorrow. I'll see you, sometime." Ace said abruptly.

"Oh, okay." Luffy said, surprised that Ace was leaving already.

*

Ace was back two days later, loitering outside Sabo's room again like a stalker. There were no visitors yet today, if Ace went in, he'd be able to talk privately with Sabo. The thought sent chills through his body. What would he say? He'd never dated anyone before _in both lives_ so, he was in a bit of a pickle.

"Ace? Oh thank goodness you're here." A voice said from behind him, and he turned to see Koala carrying a large vase of roses. "Help me carry this." She said, handing them over to him.

"Umm. Hi?" Ace said, holding the flowers.

"Yeah, hey. Can you put those in his room for me? And entertain him please, for a while. I need to go get him food, otherwise he'll just eat me." She shook her head.

"Wait, that's-"

"Thanks, I owe you one!" She said, and skipped away before he could protest.

Ace stared at the flowers, then at the door. He took a deep breath. He had an excuse to go in now. He pushed open the door with his elbow. For a VIP room, the room was surprisingly plain. Bed, machines, table, laptop, books, Sabo.

Sabo sat on the bed, squinting at his laptop. His left arm was in a cast, and his left eye in a bandage. His hair had been cut shorter than before, probably to remove the burned parts, and yet is still covered his eye, blonde, wavy and soft. He looked up when Ace came in, and Ace looked at that face.

He remembered it as round, childlike, big eyes wide open in wonder. A broken tooth, and a mischievous glint in those eyes. He remembered that face. He'd briefly seen it older, when Roger had shown him, but back then it had been in unbearable pain. So really, he felt like he was seeing adult Sabo for the first time ever. He far exceeded his imagination of what he thought he would look like.

"Hi? Are those for me?" Sabo asked. The voice was deeper than he'd last heard it, but not too deep. It was cool, like a flowing river.

"Um, they..." Ace breathed. "From Koala." He looked anywhere but Sabo's face, for fear he might want to touch it.

"Oh." Sabo closed his laptop, studying Ace. "Are you her new boyfriend?" His eye lingered, frame by frame looking curiously, _keenly,_ all over Ace's body. "Girl sure knows how to pick 'em."

Did that mean that they were not dating?

"Uh, no. It's not like that, I um..." He put the flowers on the table, for fear he might drop them. "I'm Ace."

Ace saw it. The moment Sabo's face brightened, it was as if the smile that lit up that one eye carried over to the entire face. It was beautiful. _Sabo was beautiful_.

"Ah, my hero." Sabo smiles, and Ace melted a little, when he gestured for him to come sit on the chair by the bed. "You certainly look the part of a superhero."

Ace scratched his head, looking down in embarrassment, "I'm just a firefighter."

"Just a..." Sabo shook his head. "Don't look down on yourself. Your work is creating miracles."

"Miracles, huh? My being here, able to see you, to stand by your side, is a miracle in and of itself." Ace muttered.

"See, you get it." Sabo said, satisfied. "So, I heard you've been here to see me frequently. Do you do that for all the people you save, or am I... special?"

_You're the most special of all._

"You're the first guy I've ever given my oxygen mask to." Ace responded, quietly.

"Thank you, Ace." Sabo said honestly. "I could have died that night. But thanks to you, I survived with only first and second degree burns on the left side of my body. Even though my handsome face is gonna be scarred, it's nice to be alive."

Ace couldn't help but smile too. "I don't think a scar will disfigure your face. Rather, I think that scar will make you look prettier."

Sabo blinks.

"Ah, I ...I meant...um..." Ace tried to correct himself, to no avail.

"You're cute." Sabo chuckled. "I like you."

Before Ace could respond, however, Koala came in, carrying a food bag from Kizuna Ramen.

"See, I knew you two would get along." She said. "Wait...were you on your laptop?"

Sabo snatched the bag from her, mouth watering. "Yeah, I called a press conference for tomorrow, about the youth rally."

Ace looked up, "Shouldn't you wait until you're fully healed?"

"Yeah, a few more days at least. Just cancel it." Koala agreed.

"You two don't understand anything. People love a struggling leader. If I go to the rally to motivate them, even while injured, they'll want to vote for us." Sabo told them.

"Still..." Koala protested but Sabo was too focused on his food to care. There was a knock outside, and Koala went to speak with them.

Ace stood up. He knew Sabo's friends were here now, and he had no desire to disturb them. "I gotta go. It was nice seeing you, Sabo."

"You're leaving already?" Sabo asked, holding chopsticks in his right hand, as he opened his second helping of ramen.

"Yeah, your friends are here, so I'll see you around." Ace said, making his way to the door.

As Ace was about to open the door, Sabo said, "Hey Ace," and he turned. "You'll watch me on TV tonight, right?"

With that hopeful look on his face, there was no way in hell Ace could say no.

In fact, Ace thought to himself as he walked out of the hospital, that he could never let Sabo go in this lifetime. Previously, he had kept his feelings to himself. After all, it wasn't everyday that the angry ten year old son of a demon would fall in love with a runaway noble. In the past, Ace had kept his feelings to himself, after all, you really weren't supposed to fall in love with your sworn brother.

They'd met under different circumstances in this life. They'd met in a better, less cruel world, and Ace would be damned if he let this feeling go. In this life, Sabo wouldn't be Ace's first and greatest heartbreak, in this life, Ace would make him happy. This time, Ace wouldn't keep his heart hidden away... 

This time Ace would hold on to Sabo and not let him go.


End file.
